Four executives fired by Air India venture over viral video showing staffer dancing days after tragic crash

Four senior executives at Air India SATS Services (AISATS), an airport services management firm, have been sacked after a video went viral on social media showing the company’s employees dancing and celebrating just days after the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad.

AISATS issued a statement on Friday (June 27), expressing regret over the video and detailing disciplinary action against four senior executives.

“At AISATS, we stand in solidarity with the families affected by the tragic loss of AI 171 and deeply regret the lapse in judgment reflected in a recent internal video. The behaviour does not align with our values, and firm disciplinary action has been taken against those responsible as we reaffirm our commitment to empathy, professionalism, and accountability,” the statement reads.

Notably, the video showed employees of AISATS, Air India’s ground-handling joint venture with Singapore’s SATS Ltd, dancing at their office. In its statement, the company didn’t specify when was the video recorded but as per reports, it was shot just days after the June 12 tragedy.

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In the wake of the recent air crash and other challenges facing Air India, an unverified video has surfaced reportedly showing the COO and VP at a DJ party on Friday at the airline’s Delhi office.#AirIndia #AirIndiaCrash @TataCompanies #airlineaccountability pic.twitter.com/9nzPf1sg5V

— Pradeep Rai (@pradeepraiindia) June 21, 2025

The four sacked executives are believed to have organised the office celebration.

The AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad killed 270 people, including 241 passengers. The Boeing 787-8, en route to London Gatwick, struck a medical hostel complex shortly after takeoff. One passenger survived the tragedy.

Data recovered from black boxes

Meanwhile, Indian authorities have successfully extracted initial data from the two black boxes of the doomed Air India flight.

On Thursday (June 26), India’s civil aviation ministry reported that investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) began data extraction from the black boxes on June 24. The crash-protected memory unit from the front recorder has been retrieved and its data downloaded.

The ministry stated that analysis of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) is ongoing.

International Civil Aviation Organisation given observer status in probe

India has also decided to give the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) observer status in the ongoing probe. Earlier on Friday, reports emerged that the ICAO’s request was rejected by the Indian authorities.

Following internal deliberations, Indian authorities accepted the request. “The Indian authorities are approaching the probe in a transparent manner,” an official said, as quoted by the report.